1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air pump, especially to an air pump that can inflate and deflate without being disconnected and reconnected.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Inflatable articles such as inflatable boats, inflatable pools, inflatable mattresses, etc. need to be inflated to be used. Inflatable articles are often large so using an air pump to inflate or to deflate them is quick and convenient. The inflatable article has an inflation hole for inflation and deflation. The conventional air pump comprises an air inlet, an air outlet, a fan and a motor. The motor rotates the fan, and the fan draws air into the air inlet and discharges air through the air outlet. When an inflatable article has to be inflated, the inflation hole in the inflatable article is attached to the air outlet of the conventional air pump. When the inflatable article has to be deflated, the inflation hole in the inflatable article is attached to the air inlet of the conventional air pump. Alternatively, the direction of rotation of the motor can be reversed so the air inlet functions as the air outlet and the air outlet functions as the air inlet when the fan is a propeller or vane-axial fan. However, reversing the rotation of the motor attached to centrifugal fans will likely be ineffective. Furthermore reversing the rotation of the motor may be more inconvenient than simply changing whether the air inlet or the air outlet is attached to the inflation hole.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides an air pump that can inflate and exhaust without changing contact or reversing motor to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.